IN the search for better education, we must first find better tools. Apple, a technology provider whose name is becoming quite the catch phrase in education over the past few years, offers an app store with delectable variety of educational offerings for both teachers and students. Some of these tools are free, and could be easily utilized on student devices or instructional iPads and computers. But of course, the best things in life are never free: some of the following tools require a certain financial foundation, and therefore may be best as a resource on a teacher's iPad.
In light of my own natural prejudices towards creativity, my favorite app of the week is Paper by FiftyThree. This fantastic app earned the App of the Year Award in 2012, and the five star customer ratings available on the app page give this award concrete credit. The Paper app allows students and teachers to create elaborate "sketches, diagrams, illustrations, notes or drawings" on a iPhone or iPad and easily "share them across the web". This app could be used by students on assignments conducive to creativity, and would allow students to respond in class or at home, and then share their artistic interpretations with their class and instructor.
The second app on my list this week is a word game called Psychobabble. This app appears to be the love child of Scrabble and a crossword puzzle. Psychobabble invites readers to engage in a variety of word puzzles, based on random associations between words and their meanings. The app was created through the joined efforts of language experts at Ultralingua and New York Times crossword contributor David Liben-Nowell. The app is free, and has earned 4.5 out of 5 stars from customers. I would love to use this game to aid my students in their development of linguistic awareness and fluency. This game would give students the basic cognitive skills that I believe will become increasingly more necessary in the future, with the integration of Common Core standards and instruction aimed at deeper literacy skills. I wish I had used this app when I was studying for the MAT--It certainly would have speeded to my word association skills.
The last app on my review is a favorite amongst ELA teachers. SentenceBuilderTeen is an app that "is designed to help teenage children learn how to build grammatically correct sentences". The app is apparently related to another award winning app that was designed as a complete program. The teen version is a stand alone app aimed towards special needs teens. It is recommended for ages 11-16, and is apparently often used by families in a home learning environment. I would love to recommend this app to parents and guardians ($5.99 well spent) as a supplement to their child's general ELA education. Because secondary level education often assumes mastery of the functions of the English language, high school and junior high teachers often neglect the teaching of linguistic conventions in the classroom. For students with special needs, this could mean confusion and difficulties with written and verbal communication. Parents and guardians could use this app together after school to help students grow in their knowledge of sentence structure and difficult English language conventions.
As a student teacher, I am both intrigued and intimidated by the benefits apps for education have to offer. I am intrigued by their complexity and power, and the potential they could have to engage students in the classroom. And I am intimidated by my own tech ignorance and the insurmountable mountain of technological flakiness teachers have to deal with on a daily basis. I look forward to confronting my fears this year as I begin to experiment with technology in the classroom, and I believe that the accessibility of Apple apps for the iPad and iPhone make them a great place to begin this lifelong love-hate relationship.
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